Tuesday morning on MSNBC Live, host Steve Kornacki had liberal actor turned activist George Takei on as a guest. Gone are the days where Star Trek fans remember George Takei as their beloved Mr. Sulu. Now, he has coined the phrase #VoteBlueNoMatterWho, and is encouraging Democrats around the country, specifically Californians, to keep their eye on the prize and get behind Hillary Clinton.
In a video that went viral over the last month with over two million views, George Takei encourages Bernie Sanders supporters to fall in line with Clinton.
[Transcript from YouTube video]
“I’m George Takei. As many of you probably know, I’m a Democrat. And, as you may have seen, I’ve also been a fan of Bernie Sanders. Much of what he’s stood for and helped bring to the forefront in this primary are things I too have fought for. I stood with the protestors at Occupy Wall Street, and have spoken out often for campaign finance reform. I even crowd funded to defeat entrenched corporate interests in Congress. So, I like Bernie. A lot of folks like Bernie. Even God himself sent Bernie a tweet.
But having been through many bruising primaries in my life, I’m also a realist. From where I sit, the math is clear. Hillary likely will win and she will be our nominee. But that doesn’t mean Bernie didn’t also win. He won in a myriad, vital ways, none more so than energizing the Democratic base in a way no one expected.
[Cuts to Bernie Sanders at a rally.]“Thank you guys!”
Young people in particular have become so passionate about this election because they recognize its historic importance. At stake is nothing less than the very soul of our nation. So I’m asking Democrats out there to take a pledge, along with me. #VoteBlueNoMatterWho.”
Early in the show, Kornacki questioned Takei on the upcoming primary in California:
STEVE KORNACKI: “Well, let's start on California. You have that video out there. You’re saying you want Democrats to, to stay united. Is Bernie Sanders, in, in, in what he's doing right now, hurting that effort?
GEORGE TAKEI: Well, he certainly isn't helping, but Hillary Clinton won over President Obama in the primaries back then in 2008. So, you know Californians are for Hillary. And certainly they are for Hillary against Donald Trump. He's not gonna win. And that I'm definitely sure of.”
George Takei may want to read a newspaper. With the rise of Bernie Sanders, it doesn’t sound like Californians are for Hillary in 2016 the way they were in 2008. The Wall Street Journal published an article today, titled “Hillary Clinton Cancels N.J. Event to Campaign in California: Campaign seeks to avoid embarrassing loss to Bernie Sanders.” The article noted that Clinton was scheduled to campaign in New Jersey on Wednesday and Thursday, but her campaign released a statement that she would be spending more time in California this week ahead of the June 7 primary where 475 delegates are at stake.
Kornacki then went on to question Takei about the electability of Donald Trump and Takei blamed Trump’s upward movement in the polls on the media and insisted he is a flip flopper who will not be elected.
STEVE KORNACKI: “We, we were talking about this a little bit off the air, and it’s interesting and I want to get to this in a minute too. Because you have gotten a glimpse of Donald Trump that maybe some of us haven't. But, but your confidence there, you don't want Donald Trump to be elected but also you're confident he won’t be.
GEORGE TAKEI: He will not be.
STEVE KORNACKI: Because you see these polls. He's moving pretty close right now in these.
GEORGE TAKEI: That's because the media keeps giving him all this attention. He's not going to get anywhere near that.
Later in the segment, Kornacki also questioned Takei about his time on Celebrity Apprentice and what he learned about Donald Trump behind the scenes.
STEVE KORNACKI: ...[B]ut talk about that experience. The Donald Trump that you saw and I imagine got to know a little bit off the air there. Can you square that with the Trump you see right now?
GEORGE TAKEI: I can, because he is a very assertive man. Whether he knows an issue or not, he will be outspoken on it. And then when he gets some, gets into another situation, the circumstances change, then he'll shift to that. He is very indecisive. He's a comedian.
(It doesn’t sound like Trump was indecisive when he fired Takei from Celebrity Apprentice back in 2012).
STEVE KORNACKI: It's interesting because his image is, is that he's Mr. Decisive. But you see an indecisive guy?
GEORGE TAKEI: He makes that statement decisively. And then he'll change it decisively. He's a very flip floppy guy.
STEVE KORNACKI: Did you get a - do you feel -- did you get a sense sort of behind the scenes seeing him that you got to know him? Because it’s interesting for a guy who has been in the public spotlight probably for 40 years now, I have -- few people I've talked to who really seem to know him. Did you get a sense that you saw the personal side of him at all?
GEORGE TAKEI: I had lunch with him. And he does get very personal. He's a very, very friendly guy. You know, given that circumstance, one on one. And he becomes your friend. But then he'll do or say something that's completely contrary to that. Certainly since we're talking about Celebrity Apprentice, I thought our project was far superior to the women's project. I was a team leader. And, it, you know, we were supposed to design show windows for Lord & Taylor's. And I thought we had the classiest, Fifth Avenue kind of window. They had 34th street windows. Everything but the kitchen sink thrown in. And so, uh, we lost. He doesn't go for class. He goes for 34th street.”
Perhaps someone is bitter for losing Season Twelve of Celebrity Apprentice? This is a classic example of MSNBC vis-a-vis George Takei misinforming Democratic voters that it is not the issues that matter, but rather the prowess of the party.
Here is the full transcript:
05-31 MSNBC Live
9:30:42 AM - 9:35:54 AM
STEVE KORNACKI: And as Bernie Sanders watched the Warriors beat the seemingly insurmountable odds in that series, he is looking for a similar come-from-behind victory in his uphill battle with Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. Our new NBC news/surveymonkey online poll finds 44% of registered Democrats don't think it will make a difference if Sanders stays in the race through the convention. But nearly 1/3, that is 31% there, say it will hurt the Democratic party in November. And in a viral video that’s now being viewed -- been viewed more than 2 million times, actor and activist George Takei is urging Democrats to keep their eye on the prize.[George Takei Video]
GEORGE TAKEI: So I'm asking Democrats out there to take a pledge along with me. Vote blue no matter who.
[End of video]
STEVE KORNACKI: And Joining us now is George Takei. He's working with a social media company The Social Edge to bring awareness to North Carolina's controversial bathroom law. George, thanks for stopping by. Well, let's start on California. You have that video out there. You’re saying you want Democrats to, to stay united. Is Bernie Sanders, in, in, in what he's doing right now, hurting that effort?
GEORGE TAKEI: Well, he certainly isn't helping, but Hillary Clinton won over President Obama in the primaries back then in 2008. So you know Californians are for Hillary. And certainly they are for Hillary against Donald Trump. He's not gonna win. And that I'm definitely sure of.
STEVE KORNACKI: We, we were talking about this a little bit off the air, and it’s interesting and I want to get to this in a minute too. Because you have gotten a glimpse of Donald Trump that maybe some of us haven't. But, but your confidence there, you don't want Donald Trump to be elected but also you're confident won’t be.
GEORGE TAKEI: He will not be.
STEVE KORNACKI: Because you see these polls. He's moving pretty close right now in these.
GEORGE TAKEI: That's because the media keeps giving him all this attention. He's not going to get anywhere near that. And he is, for example, on the topic that I'm here for, he said Caitlyn Jenner is welcome to use the bathroom, ladies room, in Trump Tower. But then when asked, will he support Governor pat McCrory, North Carolina Governor's HB2 bill he said "oh absolutely." That's a transphobic bill. So you know, he's flip–he’s a flip flopper. He is indecisive. And when he fired me on Celebrity Apprentice again he made a bad decision. I'm going to make sure that he doesn't make that kind of decision for the United States of America.
STEVE KORNACKI: Well let me, I, I want to play this, Celebrity Apprentice, obviously a very popular show. It’s part of the reason Donald Trump got into the position he is in right now. Here was a clip of you on the -- oh, we don't have the sound. I thought we had the sound. But talk about that experience. The Donald Trump that you saw and I imagine got to know a little bit off the air there. Can you square that with the Trump you see right now?
GEORGE TAKEI: I can, because he is a very assertive man. Whether he knows an issue or not, he will be outspoken on it. And then when he gets some, gets into another situation, the circumstances change, then he'll shift to that. He is very indecisive. He's a comedian.
STEVE KORNACKI: It's interesting because his image is, is that he's Mr. Decisive. But you see an indecisive guy?
GEORGE TAKEI: He makes that statement decisively. And then he'll change it decisively. He's a very flip floppy guy.
STEVE KORNACKI: Did you get a - do you feel -- did you get a sense sort of behind the scenes seeing him that you got to know him? Because it’s interesting for a guy who has been in the public spot light probably for 40 years now, I have -- few people I've talked to who really seem to know him. Did you get a sense that you saw the personal side of him at all?
GEORGE TAKEI: I had lunch with him. And he does get very personal. He's a very, very friendly guy. You know, given that circumstance, one on one. And he becomes your friend. But then he'll do or say something that's completely contrary to that. Certainly since we're talking about Celebrity Apprentice, I thought our project was far superior to the women's project. I was a team leader. And, it, you know, we were supposed to design show windows for Lord & Taylor's. And I thought we had the classiest, Fifth Avenue kind of window. They had 34th street windows. Everything but the kitchen sink thrown in. And so, uh, we lost. He doesn't go for class. He goes for 34th street.
STEVE KORNACKI: [Chuckles] He, he, he saw Donald Trump like some of us wish maybe we had seen him. Got an interesting glimpse of him behind the scenes, George Takei, thank you for stopping by, really appreciate it. And George Takei says that California is going to go uh to Hillary Clinton next week. Oh and by the way, I'm sorry. We wanted to mention too you have a Facebook chat at 11:00 A.M. Eastern on the North Carolina bathroom bill. Check in with George Takei on Facebook and catch up on that. And George Takei was saying, he predicts Hillary Clinton is going to win the California Primary next week over Bernie Sanders.”
9:35:40 AM
